curated: always be nyuk-nyuk-ing Nazis

How have I never heard about these Three Stooges shorts before? From The Washington Post:

In 1940, Adolf Hitler faced a most unlikely enemy: the Three Stooges

In 1940, the Three Stooges stuck two fingers in Adolf Hitler’s eyes. Now, James Thompson of Greenbelt, Md., wants the Library of Congress to give the Three Stooges two thumbs up.

The 63-year-old movie buff thinks the slapstick trio’s short “You Nazty Spy!” deserves a place in the National Film Registry.

[snip]

“‘You Nazty Spy’ and [1941’s similarly themed] ‘I’ll Never Heil Again’ are pure satires,” he told me… “They aren’t your typical pie in the face, poke in the eye, slap to the head. These two films are verbal and visual gems.”

High praise, indeed, but what cinches it for Thompson is the timing. “You Nazty Spy!” was released in January 1940, 23 months before the United States entered World War II. It was also 11 months before Charlie Chaplin’s “The Great Dictator” was released.

Read more…

Thanks for Danielm80 for the heads-up.